The fantasy football season is heating up now that we’re past the midway point.
With the fantasy playoffs not too far away, here’s a look at the waiver wire moves you need to make heading into Week 8.
Adds
Bills RB Chris Ivory
The Bills are a mess, but Chris Ivory has quietly been fantasy relevant among this disaster. That continued in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Colts, where Ivory managed to run for 81 yards on 16 carries and catch three passes for 25 yards. That came in part due to LeSean McCoy getting injured. If he’s out for an extended amount of time, Ivory becomes the hottest pickup this week. Since the Bills are so bad, they’ll probably play it safe with McCoy and let Ivory run the show for a bit, so he’s still a good pickup this week.
Cowboys WR Michael Gallup
It’s been a tough rookie season for Michael Gallup so far, but he’s finally starting to develop chemistry for Dak Prescott in an offense devoid of pass catches. Against Washington, Gallup hauled in three grabs for 81 yards and a touchdown on five targets. He’s worth taking a flyer on if you badly need receiver help.
Patriots RB Kenjon Barner
The Patriots lost Sony Michel to a potentially serious knee injury vs. the Bears, which led to Kenjon Barner coming off the bench to run for 36 yards on 10 carries vs. a stout Chicago defense. With Rex Burkhead and Jeremy Hill already on IR, Barner is suddenly a very viable fantasy option in New England, so snag him off waivers this week.
Dolphins WR Danny Amendola
It was clear Danny Amendola wasn’t going to stay fantasy relevant with Ryan Tannehill running the show. But now that Brock Osweiler is running the show, he’s focusing heavy on Amendola, who has 14 catches for 143 yards and a score over the last two games. As long as Osweiler is under center, it appears Amendola will remain fantasy relevant.
Raiders RB Jalen Richard
With Marshawn Lynch out for the foreseeable future, there’s going to be a Raiders running back to pick up off waivers this week. But while Doug Martin is the technically the No. 2 back, it’s been Jalen Richard who’s performed well, even when Lynch was healthy. Richard already has 31 catches this season, including 13 for 101 yards over his last two games. He’s a must-add in PPR leagues.
Drops
Bucs TE Cameron Brate
As time goes on, OJ Howard continues to take a stronger hold on the No. 1 tight end spot in Tampa Bay, while Cameron Brate is getting phased out. The veteran tight end has just 10 catches this season. Granted, he did catch a touchdown in three straight games, but after getting just three grabs for 23 yards and no scores against the Browns, it’s time to move on.
Jaguars WR Dede Westbrook
Whether it’s Blake Bortles (ugh) or Cody Kessler (yuck) quarterbacking, Dede Westbrook can’t stay involved in the Jaguars offense. Westbrook caught just four passes for 17 yards in a loss to the Texans on Sunday. He now has three straight games of under 60 yards receiving. He’s safe to drop this week.
Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch
This one hurts, as Marshawn Lynch is 32 years old and is probably on his last legs in terms of fantasy relevance. But despite his old age, Lynch was still a viable contributor for fantasy owners in 2018.
That is, until he went down with a groin injury that could ultimately land him on injured reserve. And with the Raiders well out of the playoff race, they probably will trend toward other backs even if Lynch somehow returns, so it’s safe to drop him in all leagues.